


Smile and Nod

by Whedonista93



Series: Soul Mate AU [9]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awesome Darcy Lewis, Brief mentions of PTSD, F/M, Rare Pairings, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-01
Packaged: 2018-08-12 08:23:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7927612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whedonista93/pseuds/Whedonista93
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dawn drags Xander to New York to meet Buffy and Faith's soulmates, he never expects to meet his own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile and Nod

**Author's Note:**

> This is technically part of the Thrice Marked universe, but it can pretty much stand alone.

“I’m sorry, but you’re going  _ where _ , Dawnie?” Xander blinked.

 

Dawn rolled her eyes, “Keep up.  _ We _ are going to New York.”

 

Xander blinked again.

 

Dawn sighed in frustration, “Fine. I was gonna go by myself, but Buffy said there’s no way in hell I’m flying across the Atlantic by myself.”

 

“Dawnie,” Xander said slowly, carefully, “I have been in Africa for almost two years. This is my vacation. My me time. To relax.”

 

Dawn shrugged, “So relax in New York. Our plane leaves in three hours. Besides… don’t you wanna meet Buffy and Faith’s soulmates?”

 

Xander sat up at that, “Soulmates? They met their soulmates? Weren’t they going out to team up with the Avengers? Who are their soulmates?”

 

Dawn gave him a ‘duh’ look that caused him to flash back to a 14-year-old-mini-Summers. Then she turned on her heel and left him staring after her.

 

“Nobody tells me anything anymore.” he muttered as he went to pack his bag. 

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Uugh. No wonder Spike wouldn’t tell me  _ who _ their soulmates were.” Dawn groaned as she took in the sight before her.

 

Some creepy voice in the ceiling had ‘escorted’ them to the Avengers common area - where Buffy was sprawled on the floor, head in Spike’s (who was sitting on the floor, back against a couch) lap, and feet in the lap of a dark-haired man propped in a comfy looking chair. And that dark-haired man was, if Dawn wasn’t mistaken, the Winter Soldier. Faith, meanwhile, was plopped sideways in the lap of none other than Steven G. Rogers - Captain America, folks.

 

“That is  _ so _ backwards!” Dawn exclaimed in exasperation. 

 

Buffy looked up, leapt up, and all but sprinted to her baby sister, “Dawn!”

 

Spike was right behind her, “Hey lil’ bit.”

 

Dawn hugged them both.

 

Xander had yet to pick his jaw up off the floor. Buffy popped his chin lightly, “You’ll catch flies, Xan.”

 

Xander shook his shock off, mostly, and pulled her in for a hug, almost babbling, “But… Captain America and  _ Faith _ .”

 

Buffy laughed brightly, “What do wanna bet Xander would turn even more red at Steve’s sex face than Tony did?”

 

Xander’s jaw dropped again.

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After dinner, once again in the common room, but this time surrounded by superheroes, Xander was alternating between staring in disbelief at the sisters of Slayage and their soulmates, trying to contain his inner fanboy, and trying to be subtle about keeping his back to a wall and a line of sight on a room that was mostly windows and open floor space. 

 

He was stuck on the girls again when the curvy brunette he’d seen with one of the scientists earlier dropped down beside him.

 

He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

 

She smirked, “That eyepatch works for you, you know. I know a couple other guys with them that just look like scowly tools. Weird isn’t it? So-called bad girl ending up with the golden boy and so-called good girl being tied to textbook bad boys? There’s totally some kind of poetic justice or archetypical balance there, though.” 

 

Xander’s jaw dropped. He snapped it shut with the thought that it was making a bad habit of that today. 

 

The girl finally turned her face up toward him and smiled, the expression shining out of her blue eyes, “Darcy Lewis, Official Avengers & Co. Scientist Wrangler, at your service.”

 

Xander just stared at her. 

 

“Ookay, tough crowd, try another night. Got it. Duces.” She offered a mock salute and scampered off before Xander could force his throat to work.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Not that she would ever admit it (outside of Girls Night), but Darcy was mortified.

 

“Humiliating!!! He didn’t say a word! He just stared at me like I was nuts! You said he was nice!” Darcy pointed accusingly at the Slayer pair.

 

“Xan man  _ is _ nice!” Faith assured her.

 

“He’s just… socially inept.” Buffy decided on.

 

“In other words, completely awkward and kinda adorable around attractive women.” Dawn offered.

 

“But he does normally stick his foot in his mouth instead of the whole silent thing.” Faith waved a hand around in an unclear gesture.

 

“What did you say to him anyway, Darce?” Jane asked curiously. 

 

Darcy waved her wineglass a little carelessly, nearly sloshing the liquid all over the floor, “I don’t remember? Something about his eyepatch and archetypes?”

 

Buffy jumped when Faith spewed the beer she’d just taken a swig of halfway across the room. 

 

“Faith! Are you alright?” Pepper leaned forward, worried.

 

Faith waved her off and looked Buffy in the eye, speaking quietly enough that only Buffy would be able to hear her, “You ever seen Xan naked?”

 

Buffy made a face, “Ew! No!”

 

Faith rolled her eyes, “I have. Scientist Wrangler needs to keep talking to him until he pulls his foot out of his mouth long enough to ramble an answer.”

 

Buffy’s eyes widened, “You mean?”

 

Faith nodded.

 

Buffy sat back up, ignoring the looks they got for the near-silent conversation. “Don’t give up on him, Darce. He’s just… he’s awkward. You do well with awkward.”

 

“True that.” Darcy lifted her glass in toast.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Everyone insists you’re like Super Friend, but I have yet to see it.” Darcy said, standing close enough to admire the view of him attacking a punching bag, but far enough back that she wouldn’t fall victim to the swing when he jumped around in surprise.

 

Xander shrugged and ducked, staring at his shuffling feet, “You caught me off guard. And I’m pretty sure you deserve less of a mess.”

 

Darcy’s eyes widened, “Oh…. oh! Wow. Okay, so getting the silent shock thing from the other night. You’re definitely forgiven for that, by the way.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“So… what kind of mess are we talking here? ‘Cause I do pretty well with messes.”

 

Xander took a deep breath, determined to lay it all on the line while this girl still had a chance to run, “I left my fiance at the alter. Every woman I’ve ever loved has died… not well. I’ve only got one good eye, a lifetime of trauma that bleeds into nightmares, and I am a very mortal man who hunts and fights very powerful not-mortals… and I’m not looking to give that up.”

 

Darcy scoffed, “Is that all?”

 

He looked up at her sharply.

 

Darcy stepped right into his space, resolutely ignoring the sweat rolling along the lines of the muscles on his chest and arms, “I’ll make one point at a time. Nod when you get them, don’t interrupt until I’m done. Okay?”

 

Nod.

 

“One, your fiance wasn’t your soulmate. That sounds callous, but it’s just fact.”

 

Nod.

 

“Two, the god of thunder is my bro, and I have regular Girls Nights with the world’s best assassin, the world’s most powerful CEO, and the Queen Slayers. If you think any single one of them would let me wander around unable to take care of myself, you’re wrong.”

 

Nod.

 

“Three, the eyepatch is a serious turn on.”

 

Blush. Nod.

 

“I babysit three of the world’s most brilliant minds for a living. Janey, given enough Pop Tarts and coffee, is becoming notorious for semi-accidentally opening portals to other worlds and dimensions… sometimes she ends up seeing more than she can handle on the other sides of those. Bruce has an alter ego the size of a small semi that likes to go for the occasional rage ride and break Harlem. And Tony… don’t let the brush offs and attitude fool you. Tony was held hostage by enemy forces for  _ months _ , and then he became a superhero who flew a nuke into a wormhole. Nightmares are something I am an expert at handling.”

 

Eyes meet. Nod.

 

“I would never ask you to give up who you are.”

 

Nod. 

 

“I’m done.”

 

“You’re incredible.”

 

“I know.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Soo.... this turned out WAY less fluffy than I expected/intended as far as it being Xander and Darcy, but I still like it.


End file.
